Five Caribbean Culinary Talents at Bahamas Festival 2026

From Bahamian cuisine to Jamaican farm-to-table dining, five Caribbean culinary personalities will bring the region’s flavours and creativity to Baha Mar this October.

Caribbean culinary talent will take a prominent place at the fifth annual Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival, with five chefs and food innovators bringing their distinctive approaches to Caribbean cuisine to the international event.

Scheduled for October 21–25, 2026 at Baha Mar in Nassau, The Bahamas, the festival will feature culinary personalities representing The Bahamas, Saint Lucia, Trinidadian heritage and Jamaica alongside internationally recognised chefs.

Among the featured Caribbean names are Bahamian chef Simeon Hall Jr., Saint Lucia-born Nina Compton, Trinidadian-heritage chef Tristen Epps and Jamaican culinary entrepreneurs Lisa and Chris Binns.

Their participation reflects the festival’s increased emphasis on Caribbean culinary identity and the people bringing the region’s food traditions to new audiences.

Meet the Caribbean Culinary Talent

Simeon Hall Jr. | The Bahamas

Bahamian chef Simeon Hall Jr. will bring a distinctly local perspective to this year’s festival, showcasing the richness of Bahamian cuisine and hospitality. As one of the festival’s featured Caribbean culinary voices, Hall represents the host country’s food culture, bringing attention to the flavours and traditions that form part of the Bahamian dining experience.

Nina Compton | Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia-born chef Nina Compton is known for a culinary approach that brings Caribbean traditions together with French and Italian techniques. Her cooking reflects the versatility of Caribbean cuisine and its ability to move confidently across culinary styles while maintaining a connection to its origins. Compton’s participation adds a Saint Lucian presence to the festival’s international chef lineup.

Tristen Epps | Trinidadian Heritage

Chef Tristen Epps brings an Afro-Caribbean culinary perspective informed by his Trinidadian heritage and international upbringing. His approach draws on multiple cultural influences, incorporating bold flavours and techniques that reflect the diversity of his background. Epps is among the new culinary personalities joining the festival in 2026.

Lisa and Chris Binns | Jamaica

Representing Jamaica are Lisa and Chris Binns, the husband-and-wife team behind Stush in the Bush, a farm-to-table culinary experience centred on organic agriculture and gourmet vegan dining. Their work brings another dimension to Caribbean gastronomy, highlighting the relationship between locally grown ingredients, sustainable farming and contemporary cuisine. Through Stush in the Bush, the couple have developed a distinctive approach to dining that places Jamaican agricultural produce and plant-based cooking at the centre of the experience.

A Greater Spotlight on Caribbean Cuisine

The Caribbean representation comes as the Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival marks its fifth anniversary with a stronger focus on regional culinary voices.

The broader lineup includes internationally recognised chefs Daniel Boulud, Marcus Samuelsson, Scott Conant, Dario Cecchini, Buddy Valastro, Amanda Freitag and Maneet Chauhan, among others.

Festival organisers say the expanded Caribbean participation is intended to create opportunities for both emerging and established regional chefs to share their culinary perspectives alongside international names.

Beyond the chef appearances, the festival programme will include the Taste of Baha Mar on October 23, featuring live cooking stations and offerings from the resort’s restaurants. The Art of the Plate Foundation Dinner follows on October 24, combining culinary presentation with inspiration drawn from Caribbean visual art. The weekend will also feature the FUZE Art & Culinary Expo.

For the Caribbean chefs taking part, the festival provides an opportunity to present the region’s culinary diversity within an international programme, from traditional island flavours and contemporary fusion to organic farming and plant-based dining.

The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival takes place October 21–25, 2026 at Baha Mar in Nassau. Further information and tickets are available at festival.bahamar.com.